Not so long ago, the news of a non-Tesla all-electric compact executive saloon would have grabbed all the headlines. Such is the rate of progress now that it almost feels par for the course. BMW showed an i3 electric 3 Series for China just last week, an A4 e-tron feels as predictable as the next sunset and you can bet Mercedes won't be far behind its long-standing adversaries.
That Alfa Romeo has committed to an electric four-door is a little more newsworthy, however. With the demise of the Giorgio platform (the one underneath the Giulia and Stelvio) confirmed a little while back, and the Tonale tasked with doing the big sales volumes, the future for both saloon and SUV looked a little uncertain. Now there's a bit of clarity on the matter, albeit from an AutomotiveNews interview with CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato rather than a formal press release.
"We are not abandoning the Giulia. There will be a future Giulia and it will be an electric-only model", he said. Which is fairly unequivocal. Whatever the Germans have planned for the EV small saloon - and whatever Jaguar might be cooking up for its electric-only future - Alfa will have a competitor for. Which is good to know; the ICE Giulia was and remains a great car, but it was only ever going to have limited impact against the established opposition arriving as late as 2015. Now it seems the wait for an Italian alternative will be much shorter.
There's less good news for the Giulietta hatch, which won't be replaced - you probably don't need us or Jean-Philippe to tell you why. "For the compact segment we have the Tonale, which is a global product. The Giulietta was only a European model and we want Alfa to be global", he added. No real surprise. And, let's be honest, it's not a car that'll be missed hugely - a world without an Alfa Giulia would be a sadder place than one without a Giulietta.
For the moment, there aren't any firm details on what a Giulia EV might actually be, but it's well known that parent company Stellantis is investing heavily in battery-powered platforms. There's going to be one that fits just fine for a mid-size Alfa saloon. Imagine how good it might look, too, given the current Giulia and the freedom that doing away with a combustion engine affords designers.
Of course, there's one thing that doing away with a combustion engine also means, and that's the demise of the V6-engined Quadrifoglio. Which we knew was coming, but somehow feels sadder with actual confirmation. Apparently an electric flagship is being considered, though it'll struggle to match that 2015 car for sheer impact. Nobody ever expected an Alfa sports saloon to be good, only for the 510hp Giulia to romp to the top of its class - cool car. Given the news, now might just be the time to buy one...
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